Julie Walters burst into tears during Mamma Mia damehood celebration

Dame Julie Walters burst into tears as she was serenaded on the set of the Mamma Mia sequel in celebration of her investiture at Buckingham Palace, her co-star Christine Baranski has said.

The Billy Elliot star was in the middle of filming Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in Croatia when she was invited to Buckingham Palace to be made a Dame Commander by the Queen.

The star flew back to London to receive the honour but had a surprise waiting for her when she returned to the set shortly afterwards.

Baranski told the Press Association: “She was in the middle of filming Angel Eyes and then she got her Damehood and came back on the set.

“Amanda (Seyfried) and Julie and I were doing the cake-eating sequence and everybody started gathering around and we started thinking, ‘What? Is everybody gathering around to watch the filming of the rest of the song?’

“But no, suddenly they started playing the music from South Pacific, There’s Is Nothin’ Like a Dame, and we all sang to Julie and she was just in tears.

“It was a great moment, because she’s just a great lady. A great actress and a great person.”

A clip of the musical tribute later went viral and shows Dame Julie being presented with a cake in the shape of the medal she was given at the ceremony.

Nothing has brought me more joy today than Julie Walters being congratulated on the set of MAMMA MIA! 2 for becoming a Dame. I am in bliss.